Sign the Petition to

UK Home Office, Secretary of State for Home Department: Theresa May, and The Minister of State for Immigration James Brokenshire

In March 2011, The United Kingdom co-sponsored a joint statement on LGBTI rights with 85 countries at the United Nations, calling on governments in Nigeria and other homophobic African countries to end the torture of LGBTI people, protect their safety and human rights, and stop treating homosexuality as a criminal offense. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/03/158847.htm

Apata Aderonke Adejumoke is a lesbian from Nigeria. She faced abuse, torture, and extortion from the Nigerian Police because of her sexuality and before fleeing to the United Kingdom. Now, in 2014, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has signed into law a bill that makes being gay an imprisonable crime, therefore making Nigeria one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a lesbian woman.

If sent back to Nigeria, Aderonke faces persecution, torture, and death. We demand that you act on the notions of this 2011 statement and grant Aderonke asylum in the UK immediately.

Signed,

Manchester Migrant Solidarity

This petition closed about 2 years ago

How this will help

Aderonke is 46 years old, an open lesbian, and human rights advocate. For years she has been a victim of homophobic torture, persecution, and brutal arrest in Nigeria and now she is seeking asylum...

Aderonke is 46 years old, an open lesbian, and human rights advocate. For years she has been a victim of homophobic torture, persecution, and brutal arrest in Nigeria and now she is seeking asylum in Britain. As a woman dedicated to standing up for others, now we must stand up for her!

Aderonke fled to Britain in 2004, after being forced into an arranged marriage in Nigeria to hide her sexuality. When she was exposed, she was arrested, tortured and extorted by the Nigerian police. She has since received several death threat messages from the Nigerian Vigilante and Muslim Community Groups who brutally murdered her Lesbian partner.

In the UK, Aderonke is a leader for freedom, equality & stands against injustices towards LGBT communities. She is a leader in Movement for Justice (MFJ), as well as Manchester Migrant Solidarity Group. She is also a part of many other British LGBTI and women support groups where she openly and publicly fights for justice and equality.

However even in Britain, Aderonke has been subjected to similar homophobia as in Nigeria. Aderonke was subjected to Homophobic abuse at Yarl's Wood (YW) Immigration Detention Centre where she was detained for one year. Please learn more about the homophobic abuse here. After witnessing and listening to several UKBA brutalities towards women at YW; with her deep belief & care for the rights of women to liberty, dignity and respect, she led a movement and submitted a set of political demands to the UKBA which led to an uprising. Please learn more about this uprising here.

Right now she is currently under the threat of forceful deportation back to Nigeria, a country where Gay and Lesbian people are politically persecuted, imprisoned (14 years) and murdered for being LGBT. A decision by the British government to return her to Nigeria is to her death sentence.